Fiction, said a famous writer, dances out of me. Much the same way, art - painting and sculpturing - seem to dance out of Jeevan Lal. The veteran artist makes the ethereal process look not only effortless but also, in his case, unrestrained. His home at Kaniampuzha, Vyttila, bears the mark of this absolute freedom. The doors, windows, panes, jambs, sills, curios, even a kitchen vessel is painted or imprinted by the outpouring of his art. The roof too is textured with tiny waves of cement, a medium that transforms in his hands. It is for sure a home of a very agile artist who never steps out of that mode. There seems to be no moment, no place, no space that is not the right for Jeevan Lal to paint. He works late into night and wakes up early to begin again. Of course, there are the off days. For practical reasons, he says he moves to the landing of his first floor home to work, clarifying that this is his night time zone. The balcony attached is the auteur in the day time and when it is not raining. The shady garden turns into the workspace when he is on to big works, the life size, gigantic figures. “I roam around and paint, I don’t need a mood, ” he says wearing his trademark bandana.
Jeevan Lal began painting as a child and went to Cochin School of Arts started by M. Raman, the first artist from Kerala who studied in Baroda. It was in the early 70s that he moved to New Delhi under his guru M.R. Baburam. In 1972, he began doing big art works in the pavilions in Asiad ’72, the big expo trade fair. It was there that he made a mark and impressed many. Thereafter he became a sought out artist for such works. The Capital as host to many such events saw Jeevan Lal’s works receive continual admiration. He spent twenty busy years in Delhi. But recession brought in austerity and it saw a considerable scaling down of pavilion art. Vinyl flex and other digitised media brought in faux art. Jeevan moved back to Kerala, his murals, sculptures, paintings, metal works, works in coir and such adorning important public spaces, hotels, churches, institutes, temples, stores and such. “Currently my style is Indian style. I studied Indian folk art- Kerala mural, Theyyam and all forms,” he says.
While he works he likes to listen to music, “the radio or music from my mobile”. And he creates the material he works on.
“I first make the skeleton of the sculpture, a wire frame and then reinforce it with different materials, it can be cloth, aluminium or steel.” he says.
A papier-mâché cast is applied on top and the finish is with fibreglass. The open-air garden is his studio for the large works, like the two anthropomorphic forms that he is currently working on. Jeevan employs carpenters, metal workers, welders to assist him in these big works. He also does small ones. In fact, small drawings, canvases, are stacked all around his home, some arranged in rows over windows, propped against the walls on a settee, hung from walls.
Every nook and cranny of the home celebrates his art. A paper machie dasavathara sits dramatically on the couch. Glass paintings, stained glass are other works in the house. Interestingly framed works, the framing done by him, are his handiwork too. His colour palette, currently, is five bright “Indian” colours, the colours used in Kerala murals. His Krishna is green and not blue. His first work in the city was at BTH, the Kalyiamardhana in metal; some of his other works are the Shivapurana in mural at the Ernakulam Shiva Temple, another at the Choice Group office reception, at the pavilions of Rubber Board and medical conference events. Trophy designing and garden sculptures are his forte too. But it were the life-size Kathakali sculptures, his first work in New Delhi that catapulted him into fame. He recalls the moment with pride, now enjoying the green, clean and quiet life of his home-cum-studio, back in Kerala.
